mackinaw

No surprise that Ford's sales tanked in July. What is surprising is that transaction prices for Ford SUV's was $42,000 in July, a $6,200 increase from last year.

Agreed. And imagine how many more times you have to stop to recharge in the winter when it's 0 degrees outside.

Nope. Modern day rebates started back in 1975. Read this NYT piece from 1981. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/18/business/gm-and-ford-offer-cash-rebates-that-are-largest-ever-for-industry.html

The modern rebate era probably started back in 1975, when Chrysler started their "buy a car, get a check campaign." During the Super Bowl if I'm correct. Joe Garagiola was the spokesman.

Exactly. The Ford Skyliner dates back to 1957. It was a hardtop "convertible."

C2 is not doing bad. Focus, Escape, Bronco Sport, Maverick.....

Saw a truckload of F-150's heading northbound on I-75 yesterday in northern Michigan. First one I've seen in many months.

I mostly agree with you. But the 2-seat, 1957 312 "E" code engine (two four barrel carbs) and 312 "F" code engine (supercharger) were much more than boulevard cruisers.

No room in my garage, so I park my 1994 F-150 outside. In its 27 year life, it's seen 90+ degree temperatures and temps colder than 30 below. No dash warpage, no upholstery issues. but, yes, the paint has faded. Vehicles are designed for extreme conditions. Prior to Covid, it was normal for a dealer to stock up to 2-3 months of vehicles on their lot. No difference from what is happening now.

Only if it was blue. Grabber Blue, was a popular color back in the late 60's/early 70's.

Still, I appreciate your discretion in passing on inside information. I'm sure there's stuff you're not telling us (with good reason).

Help is on the way: "Despite having relatively barren supplies on dealer lots and dismal sales in June, Ford Motor Co. revealed on Friday a dramatic plan to pivot. Ford is getting a new supply of semiconductor chips and will now ship thousands of F-Series pickup trucks built and parked in lots in states including Michigan, Kentucky and Missouri, the Free Press has learned. The company did not provide specific numbers of vehicles. "We're working to get chips into F-Series pickups and get them out to dealers. That's our first priority," said Erich Merkle, U.S. sales analyst at Ford. "We'll see our inventories improve. It'll take time but stock will gradually start to improve the second half of the year." https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/07/02/ford-sales-f-150-semiconductor-chip-shortage/7836909002/

The supplier fire in Japan hit Ford harder than other manufacturers.

My local Ford dealer actually has gained stock this past week. From no F-series for over a month, to now three. All white though, for some reason.

I'll give auto stop/start another chance. Mind you, my daily driver is a 27 year old F-150. That's the kind of tech I'm used to. Auto stop/start may be an acquired taste, at least for me.

For the first time in probably six weeks, my dealer now has some F-150's parked in his lot. Two to be precise. The Bronco Sport he had parked there was gone in two days.

I've owned a new Bronco Sport for about two months now. Though it works perfectly fine, i still haven't got used to start/stop. The first thing i do when I hop in the vehicle is to turn it off.

That's what I read too. Chips for autos are old-tech. Chip makers would rather invest money on higher profit, new-tech chips that go into cell phones and the like.

The Japanese factory was at 88% of full production at June 1st. They hit 100% in mid-June.

From the Detroit Free Press: "We’re proud that Ford Component Sales, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., is joining us as a supplier," said Alexandra Hittle, director of global marketing and communications at Oshkosh Defense. "Ford is providing components across both ICE (internal combustion engine) and BEV (battery-electric vehicle) models including powertrain, drive train, suspension and cabin interior components." https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/06/22/ford-engines-usps-delivery-vehicles/5311686001/

Looks like Ford will be a major supplier to Oshkosh. Ford will supply engines, transmissions and other parts. The contract could be worth up to $6 billion dollars. https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/oshkosh-build-new-us-postal-delivery-vehicles-sc-ford-supply-components?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210622&utm_content=article2-headline

My dealer hasn't had an F-series pickup in his lot for over a month now.

Lordy, you make me feel old.

To me, the Ranger needs another inch, maybe two, in the front passenger compartment. The only reason I didn't buy a Ranger last year was because of the lack of legroom. It just didn't comfortably fit my 6'4" frame. The Bronco Sport on the other hand, has plenty of room.

Fuel mileage is another pleasant surprise. On about 900 mile trip through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I averaged 34 MPG. Of course all highway driving at mostly 60-65 MPH. With cylinder-deactivation, I suspect I was running on two-cylinders most of the time. Not one of my friends knew our Bronco Sport had a three-cylinder engine until I told them. In real world driving conditions, you simply can't tell.